Photographs by Dick Evans

What's being said about The Mission

“Dick Evans’ photo of the little girl in front of Mel Waters' mural captures a supreme innocence, moment in time. It captures the essence and heart of what we do and what we strive for with the Milagro Foundation; making a difference in the lives of children around the world. The photo of the mural with my likeness, lives and breathes on the streets of San Francisco’s Mission District, where I grew up. This mural and the others photographed by Dick, shows a vibrant community that is thriving and the pulse of the Mission District. To read his book and visit the people, colors and images is a journey into what the Mission’s culture once stood for and what it is evolving into.”-Carlos Santana, musician

"As a long-time San Francisco resident, I thought I knew the large, south-easterly neighborhood called the Mission pretty well. But Dick Evans’ beautiful book of photography, The Mission, gave me much pause for reflection. . . . Evans’ focus on the kaleidoscopic murals of the Mission hone the readers’ eye in on what has remained steady and even grounding in a place that in many ways exemplifies the jagged edges of historical collisions. Evan’s photography has great clarity and power, and his subject choices make fascinating commentary and juxtapositions." —Mary Ellen Hannibal, author of Citizen Scientist and The Spine of the Continent

“With a history of conquistadors, missionaries, German, Irish, and Polish immigrants followed by Mexican families removed from the Rincon, then streams of people fleeing oppression from Central American dictators, and currently Silicon Valley folks spurring gentrification, the Mission District of San Francisco, with its Victorian Painted Ladies, its painted and graffiti murals, music and street festivals plus restaurants of all varieties, is a multicultural mix, a visitors' treasure hunt, and a photographer’s paradise.

“Dick Evans captures it all with a sharp eye and crisp photographs to take the reader on a magic carpet ride through the Mission.”—James Prigoff, author, photographer, and lecturer on worldwide urban murals

“Absolutely stunning (I can only imagine how hard it was to edit out the other 5000 + images – not to mention those lost in your mugged camera) ! Then to top it off with the poetic additions from the Mission residents and former residents is a lovely touch. When we opened our bookstore in Southern Oregon in the 1990’s , we began to shop all over the West Coast looking for quality used books. During that time we discovered all of the potential sources in the Mission. This is the Mission that is so well displayed in the book. Each page brought back memories of prowling Mission or Valencia Streets. The murals had begun at that time and the multicultural life was infectious. We loved those trips and we certainly have enjoyed reliving them in your 159 pages.” — Bryon and Sheryl Van Fleet, Retired Owners of The Basin Bookstore

New Book Captures the Murals, and Cultural Collisions, of the Mission

by Sarah Burke, KQED Contributor

When Carlos Gonzalez, a San Francisco Mission native and muralist, first heard that a man named Dick Evans wanted to make a photography book about murals in the Mission, he wasn’t immediately on board. “I’ve been through experiences before where people come, pick our brains, and then kind of use and abuse us and misrepresent what we say,” says Gonzalez, “so I was a little skeptical.”

Four years later, though, Gonzalez couldn’t be happier with Mission, Evans’ finished product recently released by Heyday Books.

San Francisco’s colorful Mission district explored in gorgeous imagery

by Georgia Rowe, Mercury News Correspondent

With its pages teeming with vibrant color, Richard Evans’ new book on the Mission District illuminates the heart, soul, and diversity of one of San Francisco’s essential neighborhoods.

Yet “The Mission” (Heyday, $30, 176 pages) is more than an attractive coffee table book. In 178 full color photos, Evans captures the Mission as a cultural hub, with the murals, mercados, restaurants, music and public events such as Carnivale brilliantly portrayed.

‘The Mission’ by Dick Evans

The San Francisco district — once home to the Yelamu tribe of the Ohlone, the Native American people — has long been a haven for immigrants looking for a better life. People from Germany, Poland, Ireland, Italy and, more recently, Mexico and Central America, have all made it their neighborhood, adding to the city’s wealth of diversity.

Paying homage to the Mission District’s glorious murals

by Leah Garchik, SF Chronicle Features Columnist

Residents, friends and admirers of the Mission District gathered at the well-renovated Grand Theater on Mission Street on Thursday night, April 13, to celebrate the publication of Dick Evans’ new book, “The Mission.” As described by John McMurtrie in a recent books section, Evans, a freelance photographer, self-published “San Francisco and the Bay Area: The Haight-Ashbury Edition,” about four years ago. This book, on which he collaborated with the Precita Eyes Muralists Association, is published by Heyday, which focuses on California subjects.